Farming

Most of the land within the AONB is farmed, be it arable, livestock or fruit and vegetables. Mixed farming systems are the most commonly practiced where most farms have both arable and livestock.

The way in which the land is farmed shapes the landscape and the decisions made by farmers and landowners can directly influence the future of the AONB.

The AONB Partnership aims to provide advice to farmers, influence national agricultural policy (such as CAP reform) and support the production and sale of locally produced food.

The AONB is not a wooded landscape. Away from the river valleys and denes, where semi-natural ancient woodland is still present, the landscape is very much open and largely treeless, other than shelterbelts and hedgerow trees.

Agriculture

Advice to farmers

AONB Partnership staff are available to provide advice to farmers, landowners and agents. If you have any queries about managing your land in the AONB please contact us.

Farming Advice Service Helpline

The Farming Advice Service (FAS) includes and replaces the former Cross Compliance Advice Programme and provides land management advice to help you improve your economic and environmental performance on:

• Cross Compliance
• Nutrient Management
• Competitiveness
• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation

Farming Advice Service website

Campaign for the Farmed Environment

We work closely with the Campaign for the Farmed Environment who are an industry led organisation that helps farmers to support the natural environment whilst still farming productively.

CFE organise events to provide information for farmers on a wide range of subjects.

CFE website

Farmland Bird Advice

Our Farmland Bird Advisory Project ran until 2012, it aimed to ensure that important habitats for farmland birds in the AONB are managed sympathetically. Although this project has come to an end, we are still pursuing the objectives of the project:

• targeted management for farmland birds in key areas through agri-environment scheme delivery
• to promote farmland bird conservation
• to provide specialist advice and training for farmers and advisors
• to provide support and commitment to help farmers deliver their agri-environment schemes

Forestry

The landscape of the AONB is not a well-wooded one. In fact, much of the landscape is a wide-open, virtually treeless plain.

Where woodland does occur, it can be found in the wooded denes or river valleys or as recently planted coniferous shelterbelts.

AONB Partnership staff are happy to provide advice on woodland management:

• Planting schemes
• Woodland management plans
• Felling and felling licences applications
• Hedgerow management and hedgerow trees
• Protected species such as bats and barn owls

Hedges and hedgerow management

There is an excellent resource called Hedgelink which provides information to farmers and land managers about looking after their hedges.

Hedgelink Website